Tweezers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT GlFFORD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

TWEEZERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,444, dated January 13, 1880.

Application filed September 10, 1879. f

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT W. GIFFORD, of the city and county of Worcester, of the State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tweezers combined with Cutting Implements or Knives; and -I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 an edge View, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of a combined knife and tweezers provided with my invention. Fig. 4 is a side view of the sliding knife which is applied to the tweezers. Fig. 5 is an edge view, and Fig. 6 a side view, of the connectionguide, to be hereinafter described.

My invention relates to a combined tweezers and knife; and it consists in the combination of the aforesaid connection-guide with the shanked tweezers and the slotted shanked knife or tool arranged to slide between the shanks of the tweezers.

My invention further consists in one or each of the tweezer-shanks curved inward or made to act as a spring to hold the knifeblade in place when it is either within or drawn out of the space between the said shanks.

In the drawings, the elastic jaws a a of the tweezers A are represented as provided with thin and long metallic shanks b 1), between which the shank c of the knife B is arranged. Len gthwise in such shank c is a slot, 01, within which is the bar 0 of the connection-guide O.' This guide consists of a thin bar, 6, and four studs, f, projecting from it at its ends in manner as represented. The bar is a little thicker than the shank of the knife. The studs j go through the shanks of the tweezer-jaws, and are riveted down or upset thereon, so as to hold the tweezers and knife in connection, the slot in the shank of the knife being of sufficient length to admit of the blade kbeing forced back so as to be wholly between the 5 shanks b b,or of being drawn out from between them. Each of such shanks b curves in near its outer end, as. shown at 1, whereby it not only open ates to prevent the knife-blade, when back in the tweezers, from accidentally ex- 0 tending or working out from them, but when the blade is out they, by firmly grasping the knife-shank, prevent the blade from accidentally working back into the tweezers.

A small projection, m, at the back of the bladeshank enables a person by his finger to move the shank longitudinally between the shanks of the tweezer-jaws.

The front edge of the luiife-blade'shank I usually provide with file-teeth, to enable it to .be used in filing the edge of a finger-nail after such nail may have been trimmed by the knife.

The connection-guide, by beingalittlethicker than the knife-shank, enables the latter to read-- ily move lengthwise between the shanksof the tweezer-jaws, which, being curved or turned in near their outer ends, answer purposes as hereinbefore stated.

I claim as my invention in the combined k life and tweezers as follows, viz:

1. The combination of the connection-guide (Jwith the shanked tweezer-jaws and the slotted shanked tool or knife, all being arranged and applied substantially as set forth.

2. The shank or shanks B of the tweezers, bent in so as to hold the knife-blade in place, as described, when in either of its extreme positions.

ALBERT W. GIFFORD. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, W. W. LUNT. 

